Cooking Up History: Cooking over and in the fire (1911)
Although people have been cooking their food over fires for millennia, casual summertime grilling in the backyard as we know it today did not become popular until halfway through the 20th century. The grilling recipes we found in our historic newspapers prior to the that show Wisconsinites usually grilled when camping or at a picnic.
In 1911, the Wausau Pilot published a variety of “Delicious and Tasty Dishes That May Be Cooked on Improvised Fires.” We chose to try fish kebabs and baked eggs. Compared to other recipes we have tried, these two dishes called for the least amount of ingredients and nothing too out of the contemporary ordinary.
Fish Kebabs
Kebabs may not be a traditional Wisconsin dish, but the concept was not entirely new to Wisconsinites at the time of the recipe. Readers of the Manitowoc Pilot learned about kebabs, “a healthful and nutritious food,” as early as 1887. An article about “Turkish Cookery” described how Turks string small pieces of sheep “upon long spits, which are held and turned for some minutes over hot coals.”
The 1911 recipe calls for “perch, trout or any other panfish” so you can either catch whatever type of fish is swimming in the nearest lake or decide depending on what your local store has to offer.
As the fish (perch in our case) was not hard to come by, the first challenge was to find the perfect sticks. Surrounded by many trees but no willows, we opted for sticks from a young black walnut tree. A good kebab stick will be thin enough to easily pierce the fish, thick enough to maintain stability over the fire, as straight as possible to make the turning over the fire easy, and not too dry to prevent it from catching on fire right away.
We cut our perch filets in half and strung them on the stick adding bacon between the pieces of fish. The recipe suggests using either piece of pork or bacon; we decided to use bacon assuming that its cooking time would be closer to that of the fish. Seasoned with pepper and salt, we slowly rotated the kebabs over the fire. Despite an unfortunate stick-breaking accident, our kebabs turned out great. The addition of the bacon made not only for a good flavor combination, but it also prevented the fish from drying out. As we have mentioned in many of our historic recipes in the past, if you wanted to change anything, this dish could also benefit from a modern spice cabinet.
The Recipe in 2020:
- Sharpened long sticks of willow or other green wood
- Fish filets
- Bacon
- Salt and pepper
Cut the fish filets in half and string them on the stick, alternating with think slices of bacon. Season with salt and pepper and hold or place across forked sticks set just above a glowing bed of coals. The campfire should be made an hour before mealtime to ensure a good bed of coals. Now keep constantly, although slowly turning until the fish is fully cooked and flaky.
(Exploding) Baked Eggs
“Make a small hole in the top to prevent bursting and stand in rows against hot stones around the campfire.” How hard can that be? Well, easier said than done. A corkscrew came in handy when poking the small hole in the shell, but what this recipe neglected to mention is the cooking time. We cracked the first egg after 10 minutes and found the inside to be slightly warmed but still very raw. We moved the remaining eggs a little closer to the fire and waited another 10 minutes, after which the egg white was fully cooked and the yolk still slightly jammy. With the goal to get the perfectly hard-baked egg, we set the timer for another 5 minutes, during which, however, the remaining eggs not only continued to cook but also suddenly exploded. Loud pops were followed by a cloud of ashes; pieces of cooked egg and shell fragments were catapulted through the air. Nobody was physically harmed, but egg remnants were later found in hair and on clothes.
The Recipe in 2020:
- Eggs
Use a corkscrew to make a small hole in the top of the eggs to prevent bursting. Stand the eggs in rows against hot stones around the campfire. Bake for about 20 minutes depending on the proximity to the fire. Proceed with caution as they may explode.